


On The Bedside Table

by YukiRiikus_Reading_Room



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Domestic Avengers, Funny, Implied Sexual Content, Love, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Sexual Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-03
Updated: 2013-03-03
Packaged: 2017-12-04 03:36:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/706071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YukiRiikus_Reading_Room/pseuds/YukiRiikus_Reading_Room
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things aren't perfect right away after Tony finally gets up the nerve to ask Steve out on a date, but Tony helps Steve adjust to the modern world than their relationship with the patience of a saint.  Gradually, things fall into place.  </p><p>And then Steve starts to get curious why he's never been inside Tony's bedroom...</p>
            </blockquote>





	On The Bedside Table

It had taken about three weeks after the battle of Manhattan against Loki before Tony had finally gotten up the courage to ask Steve on a date. 

In all honesty, Tony had expected Steve to say no.  Ever since they'd met each other they'd been nothing but antagonistic off the battle field, the pair only making sense to each other in the heat of battle.  Since the battle Steve had been nicer to him, or at least civil around him – much to his displeasure Steve usually left the room when he found himself left alone with him, and was quick to pull away when Tony tried to make innocent contact with him if he found an opening.  Steve didn’t seem to feel very friendly towards him even if he could now spend time with the billionaire without trying to pick a fight or making him feel like an inferior human being next to the Star-Spangled Perfection that was Captain America.  That, and from what he’d learned in history class, Steve Rogers came from a time when being gay wasn’t the most kosher thing to be.

When Steve had turned bright pink and quickly walked away after he asked him to go to dinner with him, Tony assumed he had his answer.

It wasn’t until the doorbell at Stark Tower rang a few hours later, Tony opening the door to find Steve standing on the doorstep in a brand new suit clutching a dozen roses nervously that Tony realized he’d gotten it all wrong.  They stayed in that night with a bottle of wine and some burnt pasta Tony attempted to cook them and talked – about the Howard Stark they each knew and past relationships, about Steve’s fear about coming out of the closet, the boy at boarding school that had been Tony’s first boyfriend and how they’d deal with the press if they went out on a real date.  Around dawn he ordered a cab and walked Steve to it with the promise that they’d go out to dinner later that week and a kiss goodbye.

For the first time since he started seeing anyone in his life, Tony didn’t wait a few days before calling to plan their next date.  Steve had barely made it through his front door before his phone was going off, Tony laughing through his embarrassment when Steve pointed out he hadn’t expected to hear from him so soon. 

A few days later, when they walked into Tony’s favorite ritzy Italian restaurant together, he was still stunned by his good luck as he pushed in Steve’s chair for him and ordered a bottle of champagne.  As the cracked into their drinks and Steve realized people weren’t making as big a deal of two men – particularly Avengers, as high profile as they’d been since the Loki incident – were on a date together, the pink faded from his cheeks and he relaxed enough to gift Tony with the smile.  Tony would never admit it, but after the Hulk’s roar awakened him after falling from space to save Manhattan from blowing up, Steve’s relieved smile had been the first thing Tony had seen as his vision cleared. 

He’d decided in that moment that, no matter how bad of an idea it seemed to be, he was going to ask Cap out on a date.  Even if it meant getting punched in the face.  Now, watching Steve try a bite of his lobster ravioli off the end of his fork, he had to admit the risk had been more than worth it. 

It didn’t surprise Tony when halfway through their dinner the paparazzi showed up outside taking pictures through the window of them.  Steve however nearly fell out of his chair when the first flash went off, instinctively turning away from it like he would the blast of a bomb.  Dread fill Tony’s stomach as he watched the blush creep back up Steve’s neck – he knew one of Steve’s biggest fears for their fledgling relationship had been people prying into their lives while he was still trying to deal with not only living in the modern world he didn’t fully feel a part of yet, but also a world where being with another man would be scrutinized by the media to both extremes.  Tony called for a waiter to come and close the curtains immediately before moving around the table to kneel next to his date and make sure he was alright.  Though Steve tried to laugh it off saying he really had been a two bit movie star if he still couldn’t deal with the press, his partner could still tell he was rattled.  Even though the curtains were now down shielding them from view, he could tell the only thing on Steve’s mind was the reporters and tabloid photographers just on the other side of the glass waiting for them like a firing squad. 

Tony paid a waiter fifty dollars to arrange for their car and sneak them out into the back alley. 

By the time they got back to Steve’s apartment, he seemed to have calmed down much to Tony’s relief.  Steve invited him in for coffee, Tony lounging in the living room absently rambling about a French movie Natasha had lent him that he thought Steve would really like as his date busied himself in the kitchen.  It took him a few minutes to realize Steve was too silent.  His heart sunk when he walked into the kitchen to find him sitting on the floor slumped against the fridge hugging his knees and sobbing.  

He didn’t know what to say, what Steve needed to hear, so he said everything he could think of: how sorry he was that those bastards had shown up and ruined their date, that next time he would think ahead and find them a place with more privacy, that he’d never looked more beautiful than he had when he picked him up and smiled. As Steve started to quiet he pulled him into his arms and rubbed soothing circles over his back, whispering in his ear how he’d grown up hearing stories about how wonderful and brave and funny Steve was from his father, how he felt like he’d know Steve his whole life.  He felt tears pricking at the corners of his eyes as he told Steve how, if he didn’t want to see him anymore because of how badly their date had gone, he understood.

Steve didn’t say anything but as he sat up in Tony’s lap, his hands gently cupping his face and pressed his lips to Tony’s, it was answer enough. 

After a few weeks the press started to calm down and give them their space, especially once they realized that if Tony Stark felt the need he could virtually them all out indefinitely.  That, and after a particularly bad incident where Bruce lost his cool and Hulked out on a pack of reporters hounding him to get details about what they’d been calling the ‘Stark-Rogers Super-Duo’.  Tony would never have admitted it, but their teammate’s support of their relationship meant more to him than almost everything else in his life other than Steve.  Natasha hadn’t even blinked when they told her, Thor laughing and clapping Tony so hard on the back than he knock him over.  The others didn’t seem surprised so much as excited to see the pair was so happy together.   

They became so comfortable in their routine together – dinner three times a week if they weren’t busy saving the world, then back to Steve’s apartment for a movie after which Tony would stay the night – that it was a few months before Steve finally realized that he’d never seen Tony’s bedroom. 

Steve brought it up over a coffee date the next day, Tony cleared his throat and tried to laugh it off but Steve knew something was up when he wouldn’t meet his eye.  After Tony locked himself in his workshop for the day, Steve called Pepper to see if she knew what was going on and cooked up a plan with her on how best to find out what Tony was hiding.

When Steve showed up a few nights later on the doorstep of Stark Tower in tight leather pants with a bottle of tequila Tony’s eyes nearly bugged out of his sockets, not even waiting for the door to shut completely behind him before he was pulling Steve’s shirt off and hungrily claiming his mouth.  Saying a silent thank you to Pepper in his head for disclosing Tony’s strange attraction to leather pants Steve smiled at they did shot after shot – after all, his boyfriend always seemed to forget because of the serum he couldn’t get drunk. 

Usually, Tony took the lead in their intimate encounters, but when Steve pulled Tony down into his lap to straddle him, it only revved his engine all the more.  Within minutes they were both panting, Tony scrambling and failing in his tipsy state to undo the zipper on Steve’s pants.  Steve chuckled as he lifted Tony with ease, a surge of lust going down his spine straight to his groin when Tony wrapped his legs around his waist and bit down on his neck as Steve carried him towards his bedroom.

The next morning, while Tony slept off the alcohol and half a night full of breathy moans and creaking furniture, Steve looked around the room trying to figure out just what it was that Tony hadn’t wanted him to see.  Steve’s eyes finally settled on something that felt out of place, his eyes tearing up as he picked it up and saw what it was.

“Good morning,” Tony said blearily, placing a sloppy kiss to Steve’s bare shoulder.  It took him a few seconds to really open his eyes and get a good look at his boyfriend, his face going pink as he saw the picture frame in his hands.  “Oh.”

“Is this why you never bring me in your bedroom?”  Steve asked, running his thumb across the faces in the frame.  “I mean, it’s just you and your Dad.  Why wouldn’t you want me to see that?” 

“Well, it’s kind of embarrassing.”  Tony shrugged, his face pink as Steve turned look smile at him.  “I mean, how many people have pictures of themselves as children dressed as their boyfriend on Halloween?” 

“You look adorable!”  Steve smiled, kissing Tony’s nose as he places it back on the bedside table and rolled over on top of his boyfriend.  Grinning with relief Tony kissed him, burying his fingers in Steve’s hair.

After that, Steve spent a lot more time in in Tony’s bedroom. 


End file.
